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Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department has asked a judge to unseal a search warrant used by the FBI to raid the Florida home of former President Donald Trump three days earlier.
“I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter,” Garland said.
Republican lawmakers and other Trump allies have strongly criticized the Justice Department and FBI for the search at the Mar-a-Lago club owned by Trump.
The Justice Department is investigating Trump for the removal of documents from the White House when he left office.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department asked a federal judge Thursday to unseal a search warrant that was used by FBI agents to raid the Florida home of former President Donald Trump three days earlier.
That request came after days of pressure by Republican lawmakers and other allies of Trump on the Justice Department to explain why it authorized what is believed to be the first-ever search of a former president’s residence in connection with a criminal investigation.

The Justice Department is seeking to unseal just the warrant and an inventory of items seized by the FBI during the search of Trump’s home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
But the department is not asking the judge to unseal the affidavit of probable cause, which would detail how authorities believe a crime was likely committed and why there would be evidence of that crime in the location targeted in the search.
However, the warrant itself is likely to list the criminal statutes related to the search.
Later Thursday, a group of media companies, including NBC News, The Washington Post and CNN, filed a motion in to unseal all court records related to warrant, including “all probable cause affidavits filed in support of the search warrant.” NBC News is a division of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
“The Media Intervenors are news organizations and are entitled, as members of the public, to view judicial records,” the filing said. “The tremendous public interest in these records in particular outweighs any purported interest in keeping them secret.”

Read the Justice Department’s motion to unseal the warrant here.
The Justice Department is investigating Trump for the removal of documents from the White House, and possible violations of classified information laws because of the nature of some of those documents.
“The department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances, and the substantial public interest in this matter,” Garland said at a surprise press conference.
The department’s motion was lodged in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where Mar-a-Lago is located. It was signed by Jay Bratt, chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division of the Justice Department.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the I-80 Speedway on May 01, 2022 in Greenwood, Nebraska.
Scott Olson | Getty Images

Garland at the press conference said, “I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter.”
“The department does not take such a decision lightly,” he said. “Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search, and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken.”
Garland also condemned what he called “recent unfounded attacks on the professionalism of the FBI and Justice Department agents and prosecutors” in connection with the search and related investigation.
“I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked,” he said.
Trump’s lawyer and his spokeswoman did not immediately respond when asked to comment on Garland’s announcement, and if Trump will oppose the motion to unseal.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart later Thursday ordered the Justice Department to speak with Trump’s lawyers and learn whether they will oppose the motion. Reinhart directed the Justice Department to inform him by 3 p.m. Friday of Trump’s answer.
Trump in a post on his social media site after the press conference wrote that before the raid his attorneys and representatives “were cooperating fully” with the Justice Department, and “very good relationships had been established.”
“The government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it,” Trump wrote.
“They asked us to put an additional lock on a certain area — DONE! Everything was fine, better than that of most previous Presidents, and then, out of nowhere and with no warning, Mar-a-Lago was raided at 6:30 in the morning, by VERY large numbers of agents and even ‘safecrackers.’ They got way ahead of themselves. Crazy.”
Trump and his allies have claimed the Justice Department and Garland, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, searched Trump’s residence to hurt the former president politically.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks about the FBI’s search warrant served at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida during a statement at the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, U.S., August 11, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

FBI agents seized about a dozen boxes from Mar-a-Lago, according to Trump’s lawyer.
That lawyer said agents left a copy of the search warrant, which indicated they are investigating possible violations of laws related to the Presidential Records Act and the handling of classified material.
A senior White House official told NBC News that they were unaware of what Garland would say before he took the podium at the Justice Department.
“We have had no notice that he was giving remarks and no briefing on the content of them,” the official said.
The Justice Department, and Garland, have a longstanding policy about not commenting on criminal investigations before charges are filed.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its Covid quarantine guidance for unvaccinated people exposed to the virus.
The CDC also dropped its recommendation to test people in schools who don’t have symptoms to catch infections.
The public health agency said the virus now poses a significantly lower risk due to high levels of immunity from vaccines and infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its Covid-19 guidance on Thursday, saying the virus now poses a much lower risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic.
The CDC no longer recommends testing people in schools who don’t have Covid symptoms, its previous strategy to catch possible infections and head off outbreaks. But such screening is still recommended in certain high risk settings such as nursing homes, prisons and homeless shelters.

And people who aren’t vaccinated no longer need to quarantine if they have been exposed to Covid, according to the new CDC guidance. Instead, public health officials now recommend that these individuals wear a mask for 10 days and get tested on day five.

A sign outside of a hospital advertises COVID-19 testing on November 19, 2021 in New York City. On Friday vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention voted unanimously in recommending a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccines for all adults in the United States six months after they finish their first two doses.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images

The CDC, in a report published Thursday, said there is a high level of immunity in the population from both the vaccines and infections which means the virus now poses a much lower threat to public health. Greta Massetti, a CDC epidemiologist, said the U.S. has the vaccines and treatments needed to fight the virus. But it remains crucial for everyone to remain up to date on their vaccines, according to the public health agency.
“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” Massetti said in a statement.
The changes in CDC guidance come as public health officials have warned that the U.S. could face a major wave of infection in the fall and winter, as immunity from the vaccines wanes off and people gather indoors to escape the colder weather.
The U.S. has repeatedly faced new omicron subvariants that are more transmissible than previous versions of the virus, which has led to stubbornly high levels of infection. The dominant version of the virus right now is omicron BA.5, which caused infections to increase during the spring and early summer.

What to do if you test positive

People with healthy immune systems, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate for five days after testing positive for the virus, but you can end isolation at day six if you have not had symptoms or if you have not had a fever for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved, according to the guidelines.
After leaving isolation, you should wear a high-quality mask through day 10 after your positive test. If you have had two negative rapid antigen tests you can stop wearing your mask earlier, according to the guidelines. But you should avoid people who are more likely to get sick from Covid, such as the elderly and people with weak immune systems, until at least day 11.
People with weakened immune systems, those who have been hospitalized with Covid, or those who have had shortness of breath due to the virus should isolate from others for 10 days. But people with weakened immune systems and those who were hospitalized should also consult a physician before ending isolation.
If you end isolation but your Covid symptoms worsen, you should return to isolation and follow the guidelines from scratch again, according to the CDC.
The U.S. is currently reporting more than 107,000 new Covid cases a day on average, according to the CDC. That’s likely a significant undercount because many people are now testing at home and results are not picked up in official data.
About 6,000 people with Covid are admitted to the hospital a day on average, according to the CDC data. Nearly 400 people are still dying a day on average from the virus.
About 67% of people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. But only 48% of those who received their first two shots got their recommended booster dose. And just 30% of children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, according to the data.

CNBC Health & Science

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

It’s that time again! “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he’s giving his answers to callers’ stock questions at rapid speed.

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Amyris Inc: “There’s another company called IFF … that does a better job.”

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TechnipFMC PLC: “I like that company very, very much. … Maybe wait for a couple day pullback.”

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Canopy Growth Corp: “If Canopy Growth is good, then that means that you have one more reason to buy Constellation Brands. … I would buy it right here, right now, tomorrow morning.”

Disclosure; Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Constellation Brands.

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer offered a list of stocks to buy on Friday if the market declines.
“I was very disappointed in the performance of the tech stocks today … That said, I think the market will let you into the best ones and you’re going to get better prices again,” the “Mad Money” host said.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer offered a list of stocks to buy on Friday if the market declines.
“I was very disappointed in the performance of the tech stocks today … That said, I think the market will let you into the best ones and you’re going to get better prices again,” the “Mad Money” host said Thursday.

While stocks jumped on Thursday on the heels of the softer-than-expected PPI reading, they slumped by the end of the trading session. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 both ended down while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly up.
Cramer said that if the market takes a hit on Friday, there are several stocks investors should consider buying.
Here are his stock picks:

Amazon
AMD
Microsoft
Disney

The July producer price index on Thursday showed a decline from June, with the PPI decreasing 0.5% compared to an expected 0.2% gain, according to Dow Jones estimates. The report comes a day after the consumer price index for July clocked in at 8.5% compared to an estimated 8.7%.
Cramer maintained that the inflation readings suggest the market isn’t headed for a massive sell-off even after seeing bright days this week.

“Inflation is not yet tame, but it’s tamer. And tamer inflation can break the old pattern of the market tumbling the day after any rally,” he said. “That didn’t happen this time and you can feel the confidence oozing back,” he added.
Disclosure: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Amazon, AMD, Microsoft and Disney.

Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing

Click here to download Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing at no cost to help you build long-term wealth and invest smarter.

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Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive maintained its full-year guidance for deliveries Thursday.
The automaker reported second-quarter revenue that was higher than Wall Street expected.
But it trimmed its full-year financial outlook, saying that investors should now expect a wider loss and lower capital expenditures than it had previously forecast.

Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive maintained its full-year guidance for deliveries Thursday and reported second-quarter revenue that was higher than Wall Street expected.
But it trimmed its full-year financial outlook, saying that investors should now expect a wider loss and lower capital expenditures than it had previously forecast.

Here are the key numbers from Rivian’s second-quarter report, compared with average Wall Street analyst expectations as complied by Refinitiv:

Revenue: $364 million versus $337.5 million expected.
Adjusted loss per share: $1.62 versus an expected adjusted loss of $1.63 per share.

Rivian’s net loss for the quarter was about $1.7 billion.
The company had $15.5 billion in cash and equivalents remaining as of June 30, down from $17 billion as of March 31. The company said it’s confident that cash is enough to fund its operations until it launches its upcoming smaller product platform, called R2, at its new factory in Georgia in 2025.

Rivian electric pickup trucks sit in a parking lot at a Rivian service center on May 09, 2022 in South San Francisco, California. 
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Rivian said Thursday it had about 98,000 net preorders for its R1-series truck and SUV as of June 30. It had “over 90,000” preorders as of May 11, when it reported its first-quarter results.
The company also confirmed it still expects to make about 25,000 vehicles in 2022, in line with the reduced guidance it first provided in March. But it said that it now expects its full-year adjusted loss before income, taxes, depreciation and amortization to come in at $5.4 billion, wider than the $4.75 billion loss on the same basis that it guided to in May.

Rivian said it expects $2 billion in capital expenditures for the full year, down from $2.6 billion in its May guidance.
The company said in its shareholder letter that the guidance revisions reflect its current estimates of impacts from its delayed production ramp, higher raw material costs and freight expenses, and continuing supply-chain challenges.
Rivian said on July 6 that it delivered 4,467 vehicles during the second quarter.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct that Rivian had $15.5 billion in cash and equivalents remaining as of June 30.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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For the most part, residents of Asia-Pacific can travel again.
But some are more confident about packing their bags than others.

Travel confidence is “diverse and nuanced” in the region, according to a new survey commissioned by the travel website Booking.com.
Some 11,000 people in the region were polled about their comfort levels and concerns, as well as their willingness to tolerate the types of disruptions that have become common since the pandemic began. 

The rankings

The survey results were published in Booking.com’s inaugural “Travel Confidence Index,” which ranked the places in order of most to least confident.

Key findings from the study include:
No. 1: India
According to the survey, Indians emerged as having the highest travel confidence. Some 86% of respondents indicated plans to travel within 12 months — a number surpassed only by those in China — though trips in both countries are expected to be largely domestic.

Moreover, 70% of respondents indicated they would accept anticipated travel disruptions, the highest of the survey.
Indians have faith in their country too — 85% indicated India can safely welcome international travelers back, higher than the region’s average of 51%.
No. 2: Vietnam
The Vietnamese are also confident to travel again, according to the survey, driven by their comfort with regional borders opening again (82%) and confidence in Vietnam’s ability to receive travelers again (75%).
Rising prices may be taking a toll, however. Of all those polled, the Vietnamese were the most concerned about costs (53%).
No. 3: China
Nearly 90% of Chinese respondents said they plan to travel in the next year, the highest of all polled territories.
Moreover, 62% said they plan to travel overseas “immediately” after China lifts its quarantine policy. Of those, 43% plan to go to either Japan or South Korea, according to the survey.

Of all those polled, the Chinese are the least concerned about costs (20%) but the most concerned about administrative hassles involved in planning trips this year (46%).
No. 4: New Zealand
Nearly 80% of Kiwis say they are likely to travel in the next year, with the biggest motivator being to visit family (53%), according to the survey.
However, only 49% of Kiwi respondents said they consider leisure travel to be important during the pandemic — 5 percentage points fewer than the regional average.
No. 5. Australia
Compared with the regional average, Australians are slightly less likely to travel than others in the Asia-Pacific (72% versus 76%). Australians, as well as Kiwis, are also much less willing to share their personal information for the purpose of travel, compared with the rest of the region.

Slightly more than half of Australians expressed comfort in the idea of travel restarting (55%) and in Australia’s ability to safely receive international travelers again (53%), according to the survey.
No. 6: Singapore
Some 75% of Singaporeans said they are likely to travel in the next year, which is slightly less than the regional average of 76%, according to the poll.
Singapore’s 6th place finish was largely influenced by respondents’ unwillingness to accept travel disruptions. Among those in Singapore — a nation known for organization and efficiency, especially at its top-rated Changi Airport — only 35% said they would accept travel delays and related problems, compared with 47% in the region overall, according to the poll.
No. 7: Hong Kong
Compared with the rest of Asia-Pacific, Hong Kongers aren’t as comfortable with traveling again, or with their own ability to receive international travelers, according to the poll. Nevertheless, 71% said they are likely to travel in the next year.
Their biggest motivator? Escaping being “stuck at home” — some 70% cited that, the most of all polled territories, including that of Taiwan (60%) and Singapore (57%), according to the results.
Quarantine periods to enter Hong Kong were reduced this week. However, many residents may stick to staycations this year. Nearly half (47%) said they are likely to book a staycation even after international travel is possible again, according to the poll.
No. 8: Thailand
Thailand receives the most tourists of any country in the region, which may be why respondents there indicated they are somewhat nervous about travel restarting.
Only 39% said they are comfortable with regional borders reopening (versus 53% regionally), according to the poll. Even fewer (29%) said they are confident in Thailand’s ability to safely reopen to international travelers (versus 51% regionally).
No. 9: South Korea
South Koreans scored lower than regional averages in every confidence category but one — the likelihood of traveling in the next year.
Some 80% said they are likely to travel in the next 12 months, according to the poll, yet only 31% said they are willing to accept travel disruptions along the way.
No. 10: Taiwan
Only 27% of Taiwanese respondents indicated they are comfortable with borders reopening in the region. And if a Covid-19 outbreak occurred at their travel destination, only 8% said they would stick with their travel plans, compared with 17% in the region.
Taiwanese were also the most concerned about falling sick, according to the poll. Nearly 60% cited it as a travel concern, compared with just 22% in China.
No. 11: Japan
Japanese travelers were found to be the least confident travelers in Asia-Pacific this year, according to the poll.
Only 18% expressed confidence in Japan’s ability to receive international travelers again, and 26% are comfortable with regional borders reopening.
The Japanese are also far less tolerant of travel disruptions, according to the poll. Only 24% said they would accept them — the lowest of all polled territories. More

Activist investor ValueAct has built a 6.7% stake in the New York Times.
ValueAct purchased more than 11 million shares.
The news sent shares of the media company soaring in afternoon trading.

The New York Times building
Jonathan Torgovnik | Getty Images

Activist investor ValueAct has built a 6.7% stake in the New York Times, according to an SEC filing out Thursday, sending shares of the media company up around 10% on the day.
“We are aware that ValueAct has made an investment in the Company,” a spokesperson for the New York Times said in a statement. “As we do with other shareholders, members of our management team have had conversations with ValueAct to hear their views and share ours.”

ValueAct purchased more than 11 million shares and reportedly wants the news organization to push further into subscriber-only bundles, according to Bloomberg, who first reported the stake.
ValueAct did not immediately respond to request for comment from CNBC.
The New York Times added roughly 180,000 digital-only subscribers and 230,000 digital-only subscriptions during the second quarter of 2022, reflecting users with more than one subscription to the company’s products, according to its earnings release out last week. The adds bring the organization’s total to 9.17 million subscribers and 10.56 million total subscriptions across print and digital, including 1 million subscribers to The Athletic, which the company recently acquired.
Digital subscription revenue was $238.7 million in the second quarter of this year, up from 2021. These subscriptions include digital access to the company’s news, its popular cooking offering, and games.
New York Times stock was trading at roughly $35 per share Thursday afternoon, its highest level since mid-May. The stock is down roughly 25% year to date, and the company’s market capitalization currently sits at around $5.85 billion.

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Disney is raising the price of ad-free Disney+ and Hulu.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek suggested in an exclusive CNBC interview a price increase may also be coming at theme parks if demand stays strong.
Chapek is hoping the Disney brand will be able to support price increases.

Another major American company is raising prices again, but this time, don’t blame inflation.
Disney is increasing the price on its streaming products and signaled that a price hike could be in the works at its theme parks as well. On Wednesday, the company said the price of Disney+ without ads is jumping $3 per month to $10.99 starting Dec. 8. Hulu with ads will increase by $1 per month to $7.99, and Hulu without ads will jump $2 per month to $14.99.

Then on Thursday, Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek indicated to CNBC’s Julia Boorstin that a price increase will likely happen at theme parks as long as people keep coming in droves.
“We read demand. We have no plans right now in terms of what we’re going to do, but we operate with a surgical knife here,” Chapek said. “It’s all up to the consumer. If consumer demand keeps up, we’ll act accordingly. If we see a softening, which we don’t think we’re going to see, then we can act accordingly as well.”
Instead of blaming the rising cost of materials, labor and gas, Disney is rationalizing the increases based on the consistency of the popularity of its products. Disney said Wednesday that Disney+ added 15 million new subscribers last quarter, blowing out expectations. It also said it expects further growth for core Disney+ (excluding India’s Disney+ Hotstar) next quarter beyond the 6 million it added in its fiscal third quarter.
Raising prices on the back of strong demand isn’t new for Disney. The price of theme park tickets has climbed for decades. During its most recent quarter, the company posted a 70% revenue increase in its parks, experiences and products division, rising to close to $7.4 billion. Per capita spending at domestic parks rose 10% and is up more than 40% compared with fiscal 2019.

Handout | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Disney strategically caps attendance at its parks, an effort that was borne out of the attempts to avoid crowding during the Covid pandemic. The move is a way to improve the customer experience. Additionally, the company has added Genie+ and Lightning Lane products, which curate guest experience and allow parkgoers to bypass lines for major attractions.

Beyond the parks, Disney annually asks cable TV providers to pay aggressive price hikes for ESPN because it knows there’s strong demand for its stable of live sports rights.
Disney+ first launched in November 2019 at $6.99 per month. About three years later, the price of the ad-free product will have risen 57%. The service now has more than 152 million customers.
Chapek has experienced his share of bumps in the road since taking over for Bob Iger as Disney CEO. But one thing hasn’t changed: consumers still seem to enjoy what Disney has to offer.
Correction: During its most recent quarter, the company posted a 70% revenue increase in its parks, experiences and products division, rising to close to $7.4 billion. An earlier version misstated the percentage and mischaracterized the dollar figure.
WATCH: CNBC’s full interview with Disney CEO Bob Chapek

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